As I approached the outdoor public shower, after my morning beach walk. Two men were lingering about after finishing their rinse and shared a friendly “Hello, Happy Friday!” I returned the friendliness and said “Thanks! Yeah! Happy FriYAY!” They loved it and proceeded to banter a bit. Everyone around was smiling and you could feel the energy lifting.

Just as I was leaving , one of the men and his dog started heading down the pathway. I told him to “have a great day”, he said “I will now, you just made it better”. Then I said “it will keep getting better” as we both headed in opposite directions. The joy was spreading, people around who could hear were grinning and saying hello to me. I would reply with “Hello, have an awesome day!” or “Hi, have a great day!” The vibe kept getting higher and higher as I walked toward my bicycle.

The happiness cultivated in those small interactions stayed with me all day. It’s amazing what a simple smile or friendly gesture can do. We all have that power to lift the spirits of ourself and others.

Tell me how you raised the spirits of someone in the comments below…